Zombeck Named Coach of the Year; Five Earn All-Conference Honors

Nov 06, 2012

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass.—Enjoying one of the most historic seasons in UMass Boston history, women's soccer was rewarded in a huge way Tuesday, when six Beacons were honored by the Little East Conference.

Sophomore Krista Ledin (Bridgewater, Mass.) became the first player in program history to be named the Little East Offensive Player of the Year, while Amy Zombeck was named Coach of the Year for the third time in the past five years.

Four Beacons were named First Team All-Conference, as Ledin was joined by juniors Tayla Andrews (Plymouth, Mass.), Sam Cristoforo (Rockland, Mass.) and Alli Modzelewski (Newtown, Conn.). Sophomore Amanda Pugliese (Pembroke, Mass.) was named a Second Team All-Conference player in her first season with the Beacons.

The four selections on the First Team set a Beacons program mark, while the five overall honorees is the second most in program history.

Ledin made her second-straight appearance on the All-Little East, First Team. Ledin became the fastest Beacon to reach the 100-point club and just the second in program history, achieving the milestone in just 40 career matches. She eclipsed the 100-point barrier by matching the UMass Boston record for points in a single-game with eight at Framingham State on Oct. 25, 2012. According to the latest NCAA Division III women's soccer statistical report, Ledin sat atop the national leaderboard in points per game (3.21) and points (61), while ranking among the top-10 in goals (2nd, 26) and game-winning goals (10th, 6). She established a new Little East standard for goals (26) and points (63) in a single-season. A starter in all 19 matches, Ledin scored multiple markers eight times, including three hat tricks. The 2011 Little East Rookie of the Year feasted on her conference opponents, registering 21 points on 10 markers and a helper in just seven matches. She was named the Little East Offensive Player of the Week three times on the campaign.

Zombeck is making her third appearance in the past five years as the conference's top manager. Under her watchful eye, UMass Boston set the program record for wins in a season with a mark of 18-2, putting an additional four victories between the previous three Beacon squads. Zombeck guided UMass Boston to the program's first national ranking, debuting at No. 23 in the D3Soccer.com Division III Women's Soccer National Poll on October 9, 2012. A tremendous motivator, Zombeck has mentored five student-athletes on the All-Little East teams. A former LEC Player of the Year during her time at Keene State College, Zombeck led the Beacons to their first conference regular season title with a 6-1 mark. Zombeck and her charges protected their home-field advantage in the Little East Championship by defeating Keene State College (3-0) and Western Connecticut State University (1-0) to raise the program's first conference championship trophy and earn the automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship. UMass Boston will make its first appearance in the national field, when the Beacons travel to Ithaca College on Saturday, November 10.

Andrews earned her first ever First Team selection, after being named LEC Rookie of the Year and a Second Team All-Conference player in 2010. The junior from Plymouth, Mass. enjoyed one of the most productive seasons in UMass Boston and Little East Conference history. She became the third player in Beacons history to reach the 100-point plateau and the second player in program history to record 50 or more points in a single season. She broke the 100-point mark Oct. 27, 2012 when she finished with a hat trick and an assist helping the Beacons clinch their first ever conference regular season title. Andrews was one of the main forces in helping the Beacons earn their first ever trip to the NCAA this past weekend, when she scored a goal and added an assist in the team's 3-0 win over Keene State, before adding the game-winning goal in Sunday's 1-0 Championship win over Western Connecticut State. In 20 matches, Andrews recorded a career-high 21 goals, 11 assists and 53 points, to become just third player in Little East Conference history to tally 20 or more goals and 10 or more assists. A starter in all 20 games, Andrews recorded at least one point in every game against conference foes, including the Little East Conference Tournament, and finished with 8 goals, five assists and 21 points in nine games. Overall, Andrews finished six multiple-goal games and four game-winning goals.

Cristoforo earned her first ever spot on the First Team after being named Second Team All-Conference as a freshman in 2010. The junior central midfielder from Rockland, Mass. was a rock in the heart of the Beacons lineup-helping the Beacons dominate the midfield, while putting up career numbers. After recording 23 points in her first two seasons combined, Cristoforo finished fifth in the Little East Conference with 26 points this year. She recorded new career-highs with eight goals and 10 assists and was a pivotal piece in helping the Beacons set a new-program record with 18 wins. Cristoforo ranked fourth in the Little East Conference with 10 assists while finishing tied for third in the conference with five game-winning goals. She was especially dominant against conference foes, with four goals and seven assists and three game-winning goals. She helped the Beacons to their first ever win over Keene State September 15 with the game-winning goal and two assists in the 5-0 victory. Almost two month later, Cristoforo did it again when she scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in the Beacons 3-0 semifinals victory over Keene State. For her efforts, Cristoforo was the first Beacon to be named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament.

Modzelewski has been a model of consistency in the back for the Beacons for three seasons as she earns her third straight appearance as a Little East Conference selection. After being named to the Second Team in each of her first two years, Modzelewski makes her first appearance on the First Team, after bolstering a Beacons backline that finished near the top of the conference in all defensive categories. One of the fastest players in the entire LEC, Modzelewski was part of a Beacons backline that posted nine shutouts on the year, and blanked back-to-back opponents in the Little East Conference Tournament. She also helped the Beacons allow just 21 goals on the season-the second lowest mark in program history. The junior from Newington, Conn. started in all 18 games she appeared in and recorded her second career goal-in the Beacons comeback 3-2 win over Bridgewater State September 13. She was named the Little East Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the week of September 11-16.

Pugliese earned her first-ever All-Conference selection after starting in 19 of the team's 20 games. The sophomore transfer from Pembroke, Mass. immediately earned a spot as the Beacons central attacking midfielder and helped the Beacons to a program-record 69 goals. She recorded five goals and seven assists in his first full collegiate season, while helping the Beacons steamroll their LEC foes. She pushed the Beacons offense to the top of the Little East, as UMass Boston led the conference in goals per game (3.45), shots (22.60) and corner kicks (5.10). She had a huge part in helping the Beacons record a program-record 8-0 start, as she recorded three goals and four assists in a three game span that included wins over conference foes Keene State and Rhode Island College. She recorded the game-winning goal October 15, when she buried a free-kick in overtime to give the Beacons a 3-2 comeback victory over Salve Regina.